The effect of three management systems on meat quality of 61 goat kids was determined. Kids from the extensive management system displayed stronger ''pink'' meats than animals from intensive systems with natural and artificial rearing management. The type of management system did not affect the pH, chemical composition and sensorial evaluation. Intensive combined with artificial rearing management system meat displayed the lowest capacity to retain water inside the muscle. Intramuscular fat deposits from kids reared under extensive management system showed the lowest percentage of C14:0 fatty acids and the highest percentage of C18:1 fatty acid. A strong influence of physical activity and trough grazing modulated the fatty acid profile in muscle of kids reared under an extensive management system, producing healthier meat relative to intensive with natural and artificial rearing management systems, as reflected by the fact that the lowest atherogenicity index was measured in intramuscular fat from kids reared under extensive management system. An extensive management system produces similar goat kid meat as intensive with natural and artificial rearing management systems, but with a lower atherogenicity index.

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The present paper shows the results of a comparison of the fatty acid profile of kid meat obtained from extensive management system under semi-arid conditions and conventional systems. Meat samples from 61 Murciano-Granadina goat kids reared in extensive management system (9 females, 12 males) under semi-arid conditions and two variants of conventional managing systems, intensive with natural rearing (9 females, 11 males) and intensive with artificial rearing (10 females, 10 males), were used in the present study. Kids reared under the extensive management system showed (P < 0.05) that their intramuscular fat depots had the lowest percentage of myristic acid (12.31%) and the highest percentage of oleic acid (36.66%). A strong influence of physical activity during grazing in pasture modulated the fatty acid profile in muscle of kids reared under the extensive management system. Kids from this management system show a trend to produce healthier meat relative to intensive with natural and with artificial rearing management systems, as reflected by the fact that the lowest atherogenicity index was measured in intramuscular fat from kids reared under extensive management system.